The Saco Heath (toldja it was to be continued!)

Once I know a place is there, it's not long before I have to hike it and check it out. Today was the day to scope out the Saco Heath Preserve. A little background on the place, "Joseph Deering (1894 - 1987), Saco's greatest conservation benefactor, donated 475 acres of the Great Saco Heath to The Nature Conservancy in 1986. Subsequent acquisitions increased the preserve to more than 1,000 acres. Several attempts to mine the heath for its peat ended when the State provided funds to purchase and permanently protect that portion of the Heath." compliments of the Saco Bay Trails website. The trail is about 2 miles long and took us less than a few hours to hike. To say that there is a 'boardwalk' is a bit of an overstatement, the poor thing is dishevled and in need of major repairs - repairs I'm sure the land trust just can't afford. As long as you're careful walking all should be fine - however that makes it difficult to walk and gawk at the same time!

I can't imagine how beautiful (and buggy) the heath must be during the summer. Almost the entire boardwalk is lined on both sides by either Rhodora, Lambkill or Blueberry bushes, when in bloom it must be almost overwhelming. I have to check it out next year. After a trip through the bog, the trail makes a loop through a white and red pine / oak forest before connecting back into itself and leading you back out through the bog.

At the end of the trip I suddenly found myself surrounded by warblers - Tennessee, Nashville and Pine warbs, Northern Parula, Common Yellowthroats and chickadees were working the blueberries like madmen. Song Sparrows, Cedar Waxwings and Nuthatches worked their way through the pines and tamaracks, waiting for us to pass by. We also saw a Pileated Woodpecker and a Red-Tailed Hawk along the way.

All in all - just a fantastic trip! I will most definitely be doing that one again.

Snakeberry

Monkey traverses along the first of the boardwalks that travel through the forest

Wild 'Large Cranberry' grows amongst the peat moss

The boardwalk that winds through the Heath

A Red-Tailed hawk flew overhead

Monkey had him in his sights

Tawny Cotton Grass was another plant growing in earnest

Low Bush Blueberries - everywhere and pretty much gone by

A Winterberry plant, seemingly out of place, growing with none other around.

Boy + Stick = playing guns. How do they do that ALL the time?

The tree that divides the path into a loop. Not easily mistaken, it's rather unique.

Purple Trillium berries

High Bush Blueberries - these are the ones all the warblers were feeding on

More Trillium berries

The path that leads home after another enjoyable afternoon.